Hyderabad: Even though the suspended DSP D. Praneeth Rao, accused in the phone-tapping case, had destroyed 42 hard disks containing crucial data related to extremists, the Special Intelligence Bureau have managed to preserve the data related to the outlawed cadre and other extremists.
On December 4, 2023, Praneeth Rao destroyed crucial information about the phone-tapping operation after the Congress came to power in the state. Rao, who took assistance from a private agency, owned by one Paul Ravi Kumar Boosi, and additional director Srivalli Gode, had damaged 42 hard disks from 17 computers, which were installed and maintained by the private firm.
Sources said that after the Congress came to power, senior police officials, who kept a vigil on anti-social elements, including Maoists, noticed that some data compiled in the past ten years related to Maoists was missing. It was during further inquiries that the sordid phone tapping episode came to light.
The Telangana police have the data that can help several wings to keep track of the movements of Maoists and other extremists.
"After the Rao episode came to light, senior officials were perplexed over the missing data related to Maoists, but they used different devices in which the data was safe. Telangana police have expertise in usage of technology and its maintenance," a senior official said.
The senior officials said that Rao and others had deliberately destroyed data related to tapping phones of Congress and BJP leaders, businessmen, journalists and Tollywood personalities and even police officers. They could not retrieve this data as Rao had set on fire all related hard disks.
